by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
My new Sheridan Supergrade is in fantastic condition, despite the wood check at the butt.
The cheekpiece makes the Supergrade stand out!
This report covers:
- Adjustable trigger!
- Trigger-pull
- Courage arrives!
- Safety
- Adjust the bolt handle position
- Velocity
- Test 1.
- Test 2.
- Test 3.
- Pump effort
- Summary
We’re back at it with the Sheridan Supergrade today. I will get to the velocity testing, but there are still a couple more surprises before that.
Adjustable trigger!
That’s right; the Sheridan Supergrade came with an adjustable trigger! Imagine that — an airgun from the 1940s with a trigger that adjusts.
The trigger adjusted in a unique way — by changing the location of the sear spring on a notched bar. To do this the rifle has to be out of the stock, which is not as straightforward as it is with some guns, so I won’t do it today. But I may work up the courage to try it at some point in our test.
How about that? The instructions for adjusting the trigger pull.
Trigger-pull
Remember that I told you the action of this rifle feels like it hasn’t been used much? Well, the trigger is more of the same. It is two-stage and stage one takes 2 lbs. 13 oz. to complete. Stage two then breaks crisply at 6 lbs. 13 oz. That’s a bit heavy for me. I would like to see it break somewhere between 4 and 5 pounds.
Courage arrives!
After I had finished this report and set it up to publish I realized that the accuracy test came next. And I didn’t have Friday or Saturday to write it because the NRA Show was in town and I would be there all day, both days. And I don’t work on Sunday. So I had to shoot the rifle for accuracy and write that report this same day.
If I was going to do that I wanted the best trigger possible, so I suddenly found the courage to adjust the trigger. Following the instructions you just read I took off the stock and saw the trigger mechanism. It was nothing like what I imagined.
Move the leaf spring back in the direction of the arrow to lighten the trigger pull.
After I slid the spring all the way back the first stage pulled with 3 lbs. 1 oz. That’s right, it increased in effort. But stage two now breaks at 4 lbs. 10 oz, which is within the range I wanted. And it’s still crisp! How about that?
Safety
The safety is a rounded bar sticking up behind the receiver. It only works when the action is cocked. Pull back for safe and push forward for fire. This is the most unobtrusive safety Sheridan ever made!
Adjust the bolt handle position
Yes, there are even directions for adjusting the height of the bolt handle. However, since the breech seals by the bolt pushing forward, you must be careful to allow the bolt handle to be free of the stock with the bolt closed.
Adjusting the location of the bolt handle. Please overlook the incorrect capitalization and punctuation.
Velocity
Now let’s look at this Supergrade’s velocity. I will start with Sheridan Cylindrical pellets.
Vintage Sheridan Cylindrical pellets.
Test 1.
In this test we will see how the Supergrade performs with vintage Sheridan pellets on 3 through 8 pumps.
Pumps………Velocity……….Energy ft-lbs.
3……………….477……………7.58
4……………….539……………9.68
5……………….579……………11.17
6……………….610……………12.4
7……………….627……………13.1
8……………….653……………14.21
Test 2.
This is a retest of test 1 to check the numbers.
Pumps………Velocity……….Energy ft-lbs.
3……………….448……………6.69
5……………….576……………11.05
8……………….660……………14.51
Test 3.
Now we will look at two other pellets. First up is the 14.3-grain Crosman Premier that’s no longer made in .20 caliber.
Pumps………Velocity……….Energy ft-lbs.
3……………….424……………5.71
5……………….568……………10.25
8……………….670……………14.26
The velocity and power are low for a pellet that’s seven tenths of a grain lighter than the Sheridan pellet. I believe that is because the Crosman pellet is made from lead that’s hardened with antimony, and it doesn’t agree with the Supergrade’s phosphor bronze barrel.
Next we will look at the JSB Exact dome.
Pumps………Velocity……….Energy ft-lbs.
3……………….488……………7.26
5……………….598……………10.91
8……………….686……………14.35
Even though this pellet is lighter than the Premier, it still produced greater energy. In a pneumatic the heavier pellet should usually produce the greatest power. But the JSB is made from pure lead, where the Premier is made from hardened lead.
Pump effort
Now, let’s see how hard it is to pump the Supergrade.
Pumps……Effort
1……………15
2……………24
3……………29
4……………33
5……………35
6……………36
7……………36
8……………37
Summary
That’s a pretty good look at the rifle’s performance. As you can clearly see, the application of automatic transmission sealant did increase the rifle’s velocity by 25-30 f.p.s. And the increase seems to be holding.
I have seen so many revelations in this test! The manual is a treasure trove of information about an air rifle that was designed even better than I had imagined, all these years.
BB,
Great series. A Supergrade has always been on my wish list. One of these days…
Under Test 3, pumps are listed as 3, 5, and 3. Should the last 3 be an 8 (3, 5, and 8 pumps)?
Enjoy the NRA Convention. How about a report on the airgun range. Thanks.
Jim
Jim,
Thanks for spotting that. I actually fixed that before it posted, but sometimes the WordPress software has a mind of it’s own.
Fixed.
B.B.
Kinda like autocorrect?
Jim
BB
Sounds like my phone.
I don’t know what I would rather have more. The gun or the owners manual.
GF1,
Who are you kidding, yourself? You might have been happy with just the rifle if you did not know how well the manual is written, but not now. Likewise, if you had the manual you would have had to acquire the air rifle at all cost.
RR
Well not at all cost. But some cost anyway. 😉
I am most intrigued with the Supergrade trigger.
From what I can see in the picture it looks to be very simple. That it is crisp and adjustable is a big bonus.
Might be an idea for airgun designers to acquire a Supergrade and check out the trigger mechanism.
Happy Friday!!
Hank
Great write up of the classic long live the supergrade!!!
B.B., it’ great to see an old classic performing so well; and I’ve never seen a trigger like that; it’s very intriguing!
Along with everyone else, I am looking forward to this accuracy testing on the rifle; have a great weekend! =D
B.B.,
I did not know that antimony and phosphor bronze produce a reaction (Electrolytic? Galvanic?). I can’t imagine that can be any good for the rifling.
Do you know if the Benjamin Cylindrical 14.3 grain .20 pellets are an alloy similar to the Premiers, regarding antimony?
/brands/benjamin/?mid=31
Michael
Michael,
It is not so much that there is a reaction between the antimony and bronze as the antimony makes the lead harder and very likely also increases the coefficient of friction, slowing the velocity. Also, a harder lead alloy can cause more wear to the rifling.
As for the Benjamin pellets having antimony, very likely. They are most likely made in the same facility as the other Crosman pellets.
RR,
Thanks!
Michael
BB,
I have a few questions about the trigger. I copied your photo so that I could add some arrows to simplify framing my questions and if that violates any copyright issues tell me and I won’t do it again.
I notice that there are 8 notches in the long lever arm to lock the leaf spring into. Is there a slot in the upper portion of the spring to allow the lever to pass through when using the remainder of the adjustment or is this shown at its lightest adjustment? What notch was it in when you first removed the action from the stock?
It appears that the trigger simply rocks on its pin and continues to rock after contacting the tube that houses the striker until it has pulled the sear down enough to allow the striker to pass over it. If that’s the case, I assume that the 1st stage is the movement on the trigger to take up that slack between it and the housing. How does moving the leaf spring add resistance to that?
If you will indulge me further I have one other question. The Sheridan pellets look shiny like Crosman pellets. I always assumed the antimony caused that. Were the Sheridan pellets alloyed with antimony? And I lied I still have one more question. This report has revealed the manual referring to “the bullet” on a number of occasions already. When did the term “pellet” become the standard name for an airgun projectile?
OK, I think that’s it for now and thanks.
Half
Half,
Good for you! You got it, and they borrowed a lot from a Mauser military trigger.
Yes the spring has a slot.
No the Sheridan pellets are pure lead.
Yeah, I noticed that about bullet, too. I think they weren’t airgun guys, because they were called pellets from the beginning of the 20th century.
On the picture — ‘sokay!
B.B.
B.B.
The pumping effort is a lot lower than I would have thought. If I remember correctly, my Benjamin 22 was hard after 4 pumps. And the last two were a bear. But maybe it just seemed that way.
Doc
I have a Gamo Urban with the power turned down to 700 feet per second. My groups at 40 yards have opened up since reducing power from the factory setting. Is there a certain speed at which pellets do better in the 40 or 50 yard range, or does it just depend on the gun and pellet? I’m using Crosman premier domed.
John,
Read Halfstep’s comment in today’s blog. The open groups may not be caused by the pellet’s FPS.
/blog/2018/05/beeman-qb-chief-precharged-pneumatic-rifle-part-1/#comment-419211
Geo
I think he’s got something else going on.
John
What I would like to know is what velocity was you shooting at before you slowed down to 700 fps. And what kind of wind conditions.
What was your group size before and after the velocity change?
Sorry, I don’t have a chronograph. I was able to have the airsoft store chrony it after I reduced power. I don’t have good information on wind or group size either. More testing is needed.
John
I remember reading about you taking your gun to get chronyed.
And I definitely more testing is needed. And if you don’t do this already. Write notes on your targets after you shoot. Like wind direction and speed. If the wind direction is changing. The temperature outside and if it’s overcast or sunny.
And try not to change your scope settings. Like parallax and your ocular lens/eye piece. Try to keep things that you can control the same everytime you do a shooting session.
I’m interested in hearing more about what happens.
That’s good information. I do focus the scope but I don’t think that is changing things (I’ve tested for that) and I keep it at the same power setting of 14x. I’ve been working on shimming the scope to get the point of impact in the same vertical plane at different distances.
John
The main thing is to try not to make changes until you for sure know your repeating results. No matter what size groups you get.
Then make a change and see what happens next. If you get better results then try to repeat again.
Once you find a good pellet or hold or whatever. The next thing is to always see if you can repeat the results.
That’s good advice. I’m pretty patient so that’s how I try and do it.
John
Oh and I forgot. From what I have seen is that different pellets in different guns like different velocity’s from one gun to another.
That’s what is nice about a tunable pcp or even a multi-pump gun. Multi-pump guns are even easier to check than pcp’s. Just pump to so many pumps and shoot groups. Then try a different amount of pumps and shoot groups with the same pellets.
You might be surprised at the results of the multi-pump gun.
That was good information about those pellets. I have been lubing for that reason.
John,
That is a wide open question. Lots of factors, with the most obvious being that any operator error will be amplified at further ranges. (If after much testing) with different pellets,.. and you find a pellet that does best at 30 yards,… that should be the pellet that will be best further out.
There (is no pellet) that did worse at 30 and then (magically) does better at 40 or 50.
As Halfstep/Geo pointed out, antimony may play in with Crosmans, even at 700. If they are prone to leading at 800+, then I would have to believe that at least some degree of that is also going on at 700. Shooting a quality all lead pellet eliminates any doubt/speculation. I would (heavily) question Crosman pellets on head and weight consistency compared to a more premium pellet.
Wind and pellet Ballistic Coefficient (BC) factors in. Hard Air has a nice BC table of all type of pellets. Of course, some of the ones that may have the best BC, are also heavy and need to be launched at higher FPS to be stable.
Wind indicators are nice,.. even at 40 yards. I made a version of Vana2’s and they are great.
Like I said,.. that is a wide open question. But at least I hope that I gave you some insight into some of the factors. To me, faster is better for going further out. All pellets will begin to become unstable/wobble at further out as the fps drops. Higher fps fights that,… and the right pellet.
Thanks for the info. I will probably start increasing power and see how that affects it. I’ll get bigger muscles too with the hand pump!
Johncpen,
I’m not sure that leading is your issue. 700 fps is not that fast. The one occasion that my barrel suddenly fouled from shooting Crosman pellets was at almost 1100 fps. I shoot them at mid 800 all the time and haven’t noticed any fouling. Heck, when I was making the hammer adjust/velocity charts for the Urban I shot over 1250 CPHP through each of my guns most above 700 fps and they still group fine, just not with those pellets so much. What I do notice is that the accuracy varies from tin to tin. If you have started a new tin lately, try another and check your results.
At longer ranges pellets are exposed to gravity and wind for a longer period of time so those forces influence the pellet’s flight more. The pellet flies slower as it gets further from the gun so the influence is even greater. Even head and tail winds will change impacts left and right, as well as the up and down changes you would expect. 40 or 50 yards from a 700 fps start with a 14.3 grain pellet seems like a tough one to me, unless you are shooting in dead calm.
I have been finding that some pellets do group better at different velocities. If you recorded your factory hammer spring setting I believe I’d just go back to it and refire the groups at the distance that concerns you. If they get good again you know it’s the speed. If they don’t, it could be the tin of pellets or a dirty barrel. Make that mod to the stock that I posted and you won’t have to un-stock the gun to do it next time and you will have an easy way to adjust your guns velocity for different pellets.
Hope you get her back on track.
Half
PS John as I was proofreading this before I post it, I had another thought. When I was doing all of that shooting over my chronograph for the hammer spring / velocity chart I was using Crosman Hollowpoints for the whole time. I was firing into a trap 12 yards away and at one point I decided that I might learn something about how to get them to shoot better out of my guns. I started shooting at an aim point and tried to shoot good groups as I watched the velocity climb as the power curve rose to its peak and then back down, being ever mindful of how the groups were changing as the velocity changed. I now recall that I generally was left feeling that those particular pellets grouped better after they exceeded 750 fps. My recollection is a little cloudy because at one point I started testing pellets from each of the 10 tins that I had on hand at the time, checking tin to tin accuracy. I certainly learned that they vary from tin to tin and I’m pretty sure that 750 was the velocity where accuracy started to improve, if it was going to be any good from that tin at all. That should make things clear as mud for ya’!
That is good information. I plan on increasing the power and seeing how the group’s do. Of course I can’t do much about the wind. I enjoy plinking the most so accuracy isn’t a huge problem, but when I check things on paper it can be frustrating.
On a different note, my point of impact moves to the right at 40 yards and is zeroed at 20 yards. I have done some scope shimming and got it to the point where now the poi at 40 is to the left. I will remove one of three thin plastic shims ( plastic from pellet tin Packaging). I think I’m getting close now. Does that sound like the right method for that issue?
John,
It sounds pretty good to me and you are getting the results that you are after. Just remounting a scope can cause that. Adjustable scope rings are another fix. Horizontal click notes can be another, and you don’t have to shim the scope at all. Swapping the rear ring for the front one is another fix. Just turning the ring 180 can fix the issue too. Do one at a time if you try that.
3 pieces of packaging plastic is getting pretty “up there”. I would not go past that. At some point, you will be “crushing” the scope tube to some degree.
It is good that you are not messing with the magnification. That is one thing eliminated. Adjusting parallax can have some effect but I have not studied that in any depth. I always adjust it to be a clear picture.
I would get some quality pellets if you can get them. For .22, 15.89 and 18.13 JSB’s. I forget what caliber you have now without searching.
You have received lot’s of good advice from the crew here. Best wishes on getting what you are after. 🙂
I just got done shooting. The scope issue is sorted out. I’m getting same horizontal point from 20 yards to 80 yards. I tried shifting scope rings around prior to this and those bkl mounts are the same no matter how you position them which is I guess their selling point. I got the same results at 40 yards having a larger group than I would like on paper but plinking at 40 yards( small pill bottle) it is satisfying so I don’t think I’ll make any changes for now in power. Thanks for your comments!
John,
A big ol’ 🙂 for you! 80 yards,…. very nice! Best wishes going forwards.
Thank you. Granted it was a 6 inch target, but that’s good enough for me. 5/5 shots.
John,
My best was 7/8 or maybe 7/10, I forget without looking now, at 100 yards with the M-rod,… 13/16″. I have (never) been able to repeat it. On average, 2″ with sometimes the occasional flyer pushing it to 3’ish. 🙁 <= me very sad.
As your pondering your quest for accuracy,… I personally believe in what I call,.. "Luck Of The Landing". That being when (ALL) of the variables come together in your favor. A shot pulled left can be offset with a pellet that flies right. A shot pulled to the right can be offset with a right breeze. A low shot can be offset by the PCP coming up on it's power curve and giving some more fps. You get the idea. 😉
Chris
Oh so Gunfun1 made you get on the game that day.
😉
GF1,
Contraire,.. the 13/16″ was (prior) to the “Battle De’ Royale”,… I did worse than you did on that day.
Anyone that speaks French,… feel free to jump all over my feeble attempt to getting “fancy” on my wording,…. 😉
Chris
Hmm. Maybe I did influence your performance that day.
The competition get you. 😉
And you know I’m just joking around.
You know as well as I do that 100 yards gets a person on the ball.
Don’t know what you seen. But move your aim point just a little bit at a hundred yards and the point of impact can change dramatically.
If you want to repeat your shots at that distance you better have the whole combination right. How about that for being critical on all aspects.
GF1,
Well, you shoot WAY more than I do. I (do) know that it takes a solid bit of knowledge, lots of practice and fair bit of luck when you push an air gun out to 100 yards to get good results. I figure my 2-3″ at 100 ain’t too bad considering what the average Joe gets.
Chris
Why do i always get the filling that you think I’m putting you down.
This comes to mind at different times.
Don’t refer to my shooting results and how much I shoot.
Just show what you do. I’m not comparing. I just want a person to be better.
Tell me how to get better. Not why someone seems better.
GF1,
I do (not) get the feeling that you are “putting me down”,.. or anyone else for that matter. You (DO) come on a bit strong from time to time. Just sayin’.
If the rest of us had an heated/A-C cooled enclosed breeze way to shoot from,.. just prop open a window,.. we might all shoot more and we all might be better. I for one, know that I would shoot more. As it is,… I suspect that most of us have multiple trips to make out to our shooting “bench”,… assuming that we have one set up 24/7. God forbid that we need to go to a range. Then,… a trip or two up the shooting lane to place out targets,.. and maybe some wind flags.
Never any offense taken. And,.. I do appreciate all that you have taught me.
Bottom line is that if someone has put the time and passion into something and has become very good at it,.. then I admire that. The good/great results are well deserved and hard earned. Kind of like an Olympic athlete I suppose.
Chris
But remember. I didn’t always have a breezeway.
You probably only know me as having breezeway here on the blog.
I grew up with no breezeway. Well I shouldn’t say that. We did have a breezeway going to a screened front porch on the farm. But we didn’t shoot from it.
My time growing up has always been going out and getting your hands dirty.
It hasn’t always been peaches and cream. And believe me. Those limited days taught me a lot.
But you know what. I never knew I had a limited shooting time back then. I always shot when I could and as much as I could. Matter of fact that’s what was in my mind. I couldn’t wait for school to be out for the day.
It’s just how it was back then. Well and still now. 🙂
John,
Thinking further, I can’t believe you got 3 shims in at all. The top/bottom shimming can be done much more (because the cap can go up and down), than the side to side shimming. Too much up and down shimming can bite you too as you are trying to force a cylinder into 2 differently elevated bores,.. which is not good, but will work to a point. The most I have used is .011″ in the rear ring for height adjustment. I use a cut piece of toothpaste tube,.. which has a bit of “squish” as well as some good grip. It seems to be an aluminum foil “sandwich” with plastic outer layers.
Instead of trying to jam 3 shims in one side of one ring,… I would think that 2 in the front and 1 at the rear (on the opposite side) would accomplish the same thing and stress the scope tube less.
At any rate,… just some more thoughts.
Yes I did alternate sides with better results. I only tightened as much as necessary.
Chris
What John did works by shimming side to side. It’s just like a drooper mount for elevation.
Here’s the thing. When people have it happen with elevation they blame weight and velocity and gravity or barrel droop or rise.
Good shooters see that on side to side also.
So basically John did what he had to do to eliminate that errror on side to side poi.
GF1,
Yup,.. (got) that. Where did you think that I did (not) get that?
Chris
Wasn’t thinking that.
Was just explaining I guess in my round about way that some people don’t pick up on the side to side poi.
But I think there is more to it than scope alignment.
I believe the trajectory don’t go in a true vertical arch. I believe. Well I need to stop saying I believe. I know from shooting at different distances on paper that the rifling of the barrel makes the pellet arch side to side also.
Like BB says the pellet doesn’t raise above the barrel. But the pellet does raise above aim point then drops below aim point.
Well that happens also on left to right at different distances. Whatever way it’s accomplished. By sighting and shimming the scope. It will get you hitting more true at different distances.
So what does that mean? A better hitting gun that’s easier to shoot.
John
If you are having to put the shims in on the sides of the scope , that doesn’t sound right. I think that would have to dent your tube because that diameter is fixed at 1″ by the other side of the ring which can’t move like the top strap can to accommodate the extra thickness. I don’t think I have ever read of adjusting windage that way. If I have misunderstood how you are shimming let me know. Chris’s advice about swapping rings around is the advise I usually see given if adjustable mounts are out of the question.
I have found that a certain amount of additional windage adjustment is usually needed when I go from shooting at 12 yards in my basement- this is where I always shoot a new gun first- to 25 yards in my backyard. If I am off an amount that isn’t easily seen at 12 it doubles at 25 and can now be seen. Are you out of adjustment on your windage turret?
If you have been following Geo 791’s recent adventures you know that the barrel can arrive with its alignment askew as a result of possible mishandling and a loose barrel band. You might want to try loosening the band and see if the barrel springs to the left for you.
One other thing that may be happening is that your pellets are corkscrewing in a fairly consistent manner that gives you acceptable groups for plinking but will impact the paper in a different quadrant depending on how far along the target is placed on that corkscrew, if that makes any sense.
If you try a different pellet I would go with the H&N FTT 5.55 mm head. Both of my guns like those better than the JSBs. One of mine really likes Crosman Copper Domes as well.
Half
To shim a scope sideways you would have an awful time, because the rings are the same size as the scope tube.
Rings that have the no slip tape in them are larger than the scope to make room for the tape . Remove the tape and you now have a sloppy loose fit for the scope so you can shim in any direction .
Be aware that adjusting the AO often causes this problem of poi shift at different distances .
Many things involved that need to be considered .
tt
TT
True on AO.
But you mention it. What do you look for. Most of us know but why does it matter and what do you look for is what I’m getting at.
GF
List of causes…
Canting.
Offset scope position.
Barrel not aligned to mount. (crooked).
AO adjustment.
Corkscrew.
Other things that affect trajectory itself. (scientific names for stuff)
Wind.
There are some things that can be eliminated easier than others. What do you suspect under specific conditions ? Exactly how much poi shift are you getting with what distance change ?
What would be most probable for what you see happen ?
This could get really long, and still only give a starting point .
Don’t want to write a book here.
Don’t forget multiple problems . That gets really bad .
What are we looking for ?
tt
TT
Repeatable acceptable performance.
That’s what I look for.
It all depends on what the gun will be used for.
That’s as simple as I can put it.
GF
Plinking barn doors at 15 feet, or maybe bug hunting at ranges up to 30 yards ? Percentage hit/miss allowable ? How much poi change is acceptable ? Specific details help .
tt
TT
Yep that’s what I’m talking about.
Maybe my 760 is good for a specific purpose. And my .25 Condor SS for another.
But it all boils down to me knowing how I want to use that gun.
And how much time I spend with that gun to know it will do what I want it to do.
It all depends on what a person expects from that gun. And how much time is involved to get at that point.
Half,
Good points on the “corkscrew effect”. I had forgotten that one. It should be noted that it is an ever widening spiral,… at least I think that it is anyways. I would think that higher fps would delay/suppress/minimize that effect longer?
As an interesting side note,… over the Winter I shot the .22 TX, .22 LGU, .22 Maximus and the .25 M-rod indoors at 13 yards and the M-rod won out. All were very tight as you might expect, but the heavier pellet and added fpe and fps of the M-rod made it perform better. I would have to say that the other 3 were all about even. No perceptible difference without measuring.
I think that higher fps and fpe carries through to long range shooting accuracy. It ain’t all about power,… but sometimes it is. 🙂
Thanks for your comments. I tried switching rings around but that didn’t change anything. I read about shimming on the side in one of Tom’s blogs and today I found success. I’m not getting any change in windage from 20 yards to 40 yards and beyond. I wasn’t out of windage adjustment on the turret. I just wanted to have better results at different distances. Seems to me that the shim accomplished getting the scope tube in line with the barrel therefore less adjustment from center was needed.
John
I was waiting for your results. I use to put targets out every 10 yards out to 50 yards and aim always at the bullseye.
You did good getting your scope shimed side to side and zeroed.
People always talked about using a mirror to get your scope at center. That’s all fine and dandy. But what happens at different distances is what counts.
Hmm makes me wonder if the Chairgun would show side to side alignment in their program. Would be interesting to see. But shooting I’m thinking will win out again.
Johncpen,
I concur with Halfstep. I will add that ou have changed the RPM of your pellets by slowing the MV (muzzle velocity) something that B.B., many others and I have covered in past posts. My opinion is that rotation speed of pellets out factors the diabolo (shuttlecock shape) in external balistic stability. So unless you have changed pellets or pellet box lot/tin you need to go back to your previous setting, you did log it…right! That’s how I keep from going Stark raving mad as I search for the holy Grail of precision shooting. If you can get back to previous settings see if your accuracy returns. I would accept that higher speed (and the return of accuracy) or I would move to a heavier pellet if there is some reason you want the slower MV. One added thought just to muddy everything up…my thoughts:. Harder pellets driven faster in the very shallow grooves and lands of airgun barrels allow an overdriven pellet to strip through the riffle of the bore and that contributes to quicker leading…
If not then you have lots of paths you can take to find accuracy you and all the rest of us are always striving for.
Good luck! Be patient
shootski
Off topic,… but on occasion,… not,….
On occasion we get someone commenting from another country that speaks an entirely different language. Their English is broken and will vary to the to the level of comprehension.
Do they have some sort of translation app that can translate (I type English and hit translate and it does it?) If so, they either use that or just do their best.
My luck, if such a thing even exist,.. would be that I would type,…. “You need to increase your fps and steady your hold”,.. and the translated version would come out something like “Your Mother has the snout of a pig and ears like a Donkey”.
Just curious here. I do not want to inadvertently start a 3rd World War over some air gun related comment.
Anyone?
Chris USA,
There are online translators available in several languages. Google Chrome seems to do an adequate job of translating whole websites from whatever language to English. Although it might appear stilted at times. I cannot, though, vouch how well the conversational language translation works. Most (nearly all) Airgunners I have had a conversation either here or elsewhere on the net have been civil and very tolerant of other views despite the language barrier, so no fear of starting World War 3. At the worst they have asked a rephrasing of the question if they can’t understand it at first.
Siraniko
Replacing (moderator/cones) with (weights) to improve accuracy,……
On the .25 M-rod I had put all of the silencing cones back in (back to 100% stock)
100 yards, 25.39 JSB’s, 2 groups of 8. 1) 4.00″ ish 2) 3″ ish (not good 🙁 <me)
Next I pulled the stock cones and spring and installed 5 "weights" at 6 1/4oz. total weight. They are 3/4" OD and 1/2" ID and are 1 1/4" long, phosphorous bronze bearings.
I then shot 2 more eight shot groups 1) 1 5/8" 2) 1 1/4"
I have played around with various configurations in the past and I just wanted to try the stock one again. Needless to say, the weights helped (with muzzle jumping being the most benefit I suppose), but also accuracy.
Some of you have seen me play with this in the past,.. but I thought that todays results was worthy of a repeat. Doing this is something to consider if your baffle system will come out of it's shroud/housing. Just some FYI to ponder.
Chris
So do you think the weight helped or do you think it eliminated air turbulence from the baffles or both?
GF1,
Well, you were the one that originally told me to try it way back when. In theory, the turbulence could increase. The baffles in the M-rod are built somewhat like an air stripper. 7 in a row to be exact.
If I had to guess, it just reduces/steadies muzzle movement prior to the pellet leaving the barrel. I was using 16 mag. today and it worked very nice. 41% humidity today which is very low by Ohio standards. I suppose less moisture in the air helped to reduce the hazy effect that can sometimes accompany higher magnifications. Indoors this Winter it was clear at 16mag. too,.. so it can be done. I like being able to see the target better. Somewhat overcast, 70 F and calm winds. It was a good day to try 100 again.
Though you and I have talked about it in the past,.. I just thought that I would toss it out again for any new readers.
Chris
We had good weather yesterday and today. Up in the low 80’s here already bright and sunny out and very calm.
But yep I think the weight is probably what helps.
Chris
Oh and since we are talking.25 caliber. My .25 Condor SS has been doing pretty good. It’s almost like the barrel and the valve needed broke in.
When I got the gun I was using the JSB 33.95’s and the new H&N Barracudas. I was getting for the most part just over a 1″ group at 50 yards. Not exactly what I was looking for. But I just kept shooting it. Now either pellet used is right under .600″. And now I’m getting around a 1-1/2″ group at 100 yards now. So happy with that. And the gun is shooting the 30.86 Baracudas at a average of 950 fps at 61 fpe The JSB 33.95’s are shooting at 910 fps at 62 fpe. And that’s on 2500 psi fill down to 1700 psi with 30 usable shots. So pretty happy with it now.
And I got some of these to try. I’m thinking that they should be making good velocity. And I’m hoping they are accurate out to 50 yards like around 1″ would make me happy. They should put a thumping to whatever they hit.
/product/h-n-baracuda-hunter-25-cal-27-47-grains-hollowpoint-150ct?p=1454
Single shot owners with scoped rifles,…..
1) I took a (very firm) piece of foam and custom cut it to wedge between my scope front bell and the scope rail.
2) Once in, I took a drill bit, removing some foam as I went,.. until a .22 pellet would fit snugly in the hole. I did 3 holes. They do not go clear through.
(Problem arose),… While the fit is nice now and I can flick out a pellet with my finger nail,… I wanted something better. Initial testing, without the right size hole,.. resulted in bent skirts when trying to extract them.
3) I took a small drill bit and went through to the other side. I then took a small plastic rod and made 3 little “pushers” that come in from the left. When pushed, they pop out a pellet nice and clean.
The Maximus is now equipped with 3 (on-board) shots ready to go. Quite nice for a grab and go. 🙂
Chris
You ever try these. They actually work pretty nice.
You can also use them to store loaded mags for easy access when hunting or pesting.
/product/crosman-airgun-ammo-pouch-holds-500-pellets?a=1956
GF1,
I have. I was wanting something simple and in 1 unit,… (the gun). “Grab and go” for the squirrel that pops into the yard. That is nice though and priced right.
Chris
Here is what I use too. It will hold a couple Marauder mags also. So basically one in the breech and 2 in the pouch.
I kept them from when I had bought the 250 count. But they don’t have the soft side like the Crosman pouch. And I only put like say a 50 pellets in it if I’m using a single shot gun. This is stuff I use when pesting if they call me out to place. It really makes for fast acces and ample supply.
/product/daisy-precision-max-177-cal-7-5-grains-flat-nosed-250ct?p=550
GF1,
That is nice too. Keep the container,… trash the pellets. The soft side would rattle less though.
Chris
Haha. Your so funny.
Heck no don’t trash the pellets. They work great in my WildFire and Colt Python.
So a two for on that deal. 🙂
GF1,
And a premium pellet would not do better in both? If I consider Crosman at the bottom of the barrel, then Daisy would be somewhere (under) the barrel. I have a can (.177 and .22) of Crosman Premiers from Wally World and they do not look too bad. Still, I would never trust them for any serious shooting.
But hey,…. if they work, they work.
Chris
I would have to say I would take the Daisy wadcutters over Crosman Premiers. The Daisy’s are made from a softer lead than the Premieres too.
And the Daisy wadcutters are pretty accurate pellets in the WildFire and Python. Also my 760.
But the main thing is they are just under $5.00 for 500 pellets. And when I shoot the WildFire or Python I’m shooting rapid fire. I can go through close to a hundred pellets on each gun in a matter of a few minutes of shooting.
So if $5.00 pellets work for what I’m using them for I’m sure not going to buy a $15.00 Tom of pellets for those gun’s. That would get expensive fast.
And as I say. I like to plink accurately. 🙂
GF1,
Well,.. there is something most of us would not expect. I guess if you are going to shoot cheap pellets, then you are best served by shooting the most accurate cheap pellet.
Chris
Oh and they don’t rattle. The pellets kind of settle together when you fill the pouch with multiple pellets.
It takes a pretty abrupt movement to move the pellets in a pouch.
Hey Chris,
I have a couple of the Air Venturi pellet pens that I found worked very well when I was shooting the Diana 34. Of course I don’t use them now with the Urban’s (10) shot magazine. The only small problem I have using the mag is that if I get all set to shoot, and then the target flies, I de-cock the bolt. The mag has to be removed before re-cocking the bolt or it will double feed a pellet. Not a big deal, just something I have to remember to do if I de-cock the bolt.
Geo,
I have one but found it to be too “fiddly”. Then again, they might do well for a break barrel, which I do not own. Yup,… double feeds are not good. I do not think I have ever done that, but I could with the M-rod.
Chris USA,
What our local hunters usually do around here is they use a strip of rubber from an inner tube with appropriate sized holes punched to hold the pellets. This can be attached by a screw to any convenient place on the rifle or suspended by a string a round the neck.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
Thank you for the Google Chrome/Translation Tool tip. Good idea with the piece of inner tube too. Simple. Of course, me being me,… I had to give mine moving parts! 😉